Designed to give children from disadvantaged families a sense of belonging and footballing joy, One Ball was formed in late 2018 in partnership with Port Melbourne Sharks football club and city of Port Philip.
Passion for soccer runs in Kamal’s family. Kamal Ibrahim, born in Eritrea, was a young boy when he watched his brother, Semir Ibrahim, play football and fell in love with it himself. He has since been playing, including after coming to Australia as a refugee in 2003. He played professionally for Melbourne Heart, now Melbourne City, at youth level and went on to represent Victoria and Australia on the national stage.
Kamal learned a lot throughout his soccer career, on and off the field, and coming to Australia as a refugee was very difficult to begin with.
“I struggled to fit in when I first came to Melbourne until I started playing soccer with other children. It instantly gave me a sense of purpose and belief.”
New arrivals to Australia usually face cultural shocks. Navigating social and work environments is often difficult and refugee children especially face similar challenges to progress in sport and education.
“We don’t know what it takes to be a professional [when we arrive],” says Kamal. “Whether that is how to eat properly, how to exercise properly, coming on time and how to be disciplined.”
He knows how tempting it is to give up in the face of what seem to be insurmountable social and financial challenges, too.
“I was lucky to have a person who believed in me and supported me. If it wasn’t for that person I would have given up. Because you just feel like you have no support. I can understand how these children feel.”
Kamal says it’s critical these children should get support from their parents, family and community members.
“Children from the mainstream Australian communities have a lot of support. Parents drive them to every training and buy them whatever they need. However, those from disadvantaged communities don’t have that kind of support. Often it is due to financial reasons, but cultural understanding and family priorities also play big roles.”
Soccer is growing every year in Australia in popularity and more A-League teams are expected to emerge. Kamal believes there is a lot of opportunity in Australia and one can make a living out of playing soccer professionally or becoming a professional coach.
“But the problem is finding those opportunities or taking the children to where those opportunities are, just talking to clubs. Because these children are not being exposed to the clubs themselves or other scouts.”
That’s precisely what he and Mohammed Beshir would like to accomplish through One Ball.
Kamal is head coach at One Ball while also coaching at Port Melbourne soccer club. He helps the children to be active, play outdoors, learn new and develop their technical skills, make friends with other peers irrespective of background, social status, color, religion, gender.
They can come to a safe environment where parents don’t have to worry about them mixing with the wrong people. So far, Kamal says they have around 30 boys and girls in their program and plan to reach 50 by the end of the year, with more emphasis on reaching out to girls.
Exposure is a task that One Ball undertakes once it identifies motivated children with higher skills by linking them with established clubs.
For those who are extremely talented but don’t see the pathway to professionalism Kamal has a promise.
“Never give up. I have been through it and there is always a support somewhere. I would like to be that support for these children and make their dreams come true, whether that is playing for Socceroos or for a professional team.”
